The present invention broadly relates to a new and improved method of, and apparatus for, loading a singling or separating or feeder installation for printed products, especially a feeder.
In its more particular aspects the present invention specifically relates to a new and improved method of loading a singling or separating installation for printed products, especially a feeder, with printed products infed in an imbricated formation to a buffer stack forming location. A stack of such printed products is formed on the rear side of a product withdrawal location. In this stack the printed products are arranged with substantially aligned side edges and the printed products are individually removed from this product withdrawal location.
In a loading apparatus for a feeder as described, for example, in German Patent Publication No. 3,425,397 corresponding to the aforementioned U.S. application Ser. No. 624,365 now U.S. Pat. No. 4,657,237, and the cognate British Patent Publication No. 2,143,216, a stack is formed behind the product withdrawal location. At this product withdrawal location the printed products are individually removed. The printed products are infed in an imbricated formation and are pushed onto the stack at its rear end. Within this stack the printed products lie flat against each other and are aligned with each other on their side edges, a configuration which is necessary for a faultless removal. The location at which the printed products are pushed onto the stack thus migrates as a joint function of the infeed rate of the printed products and the removal speed of the printed products from the stack in the longitudinal direction of the latter.
Apart from the considerably complex apparatus required for pushing the printed products onto the stack, difficulties are encountered in the known construction when the stack requires a high storage capacity, that is a great length. When the stack has a great length, the printed products can no longer be held in their mutually aligned positions along their forward movement path and this is disadvantageous for the removal operation of the individual printed products
Furthermore, as known, for example, from German Patent Publication No. 2,825,420 and the cognate U.S. Pat. No. 4,240,539, granted Dec. 23, 1980, folding box blanks that arrive in an imbricated position can be banked at a back-up station to form a buffer stack in which the articles assume an inclined position. This buffer stack is formed when a subsequent processing installation is shut down and the blanks continue to be delivered. As soon as the processing installation is again set into operation, the blanks are removed from the buffer stack and transported in an imbricated formation to the processing installation.
As described, for example, in German Patent Publication No. 2,307,728, in the equipment disclosed therein for manufacturing bags or sacks the bags or sacks arrive in succession and are deposited in imbricated formation onto a conveyor belt. From this conveyor belt the bags or sacks are taken over individually and in a mutually spaced relationship by a removal conveyor.